Program

Roman Šedina, a porcelain designer, will give a lecture on the unprecedented cooperation of several highly respected creative people in the long-term LIFE OF VASE project. The title reflects several thematic concepts of a vase as an interior sculptural object, sculpture, or designed storage container. He explores topics such as why people surround themselves with ceramic vases and what passion could be hiding underneath. The BROKEN SHAPES exposition does not present you the vase as a particular object. The vase is perceived as delicate, sometimes even invisible, or it can even proudly bear its distortion. These are just sensations that the designers transform through their original creations. Thus, the designers become modern decorators using the medium of ceramics and porcelain. The exhibition is accompanied by texts from notable personalities that are works of art in their own right.

Give your favorite old chair a new look

Having roots in Ostrava and Prague, in 2014, we have reached all the way to London. Currently, we are establishing a new studio in our beloved Ostrava!!!
Eco-thinking and sustainability are very important to us. That’s why we use recycled and upcycled materials (wood, metal, glass).
With all our products, we emphasize the potential of the selected material and we let it guide us by its natural beauty which we highlight through our design and care.

Pavlína Blahotová will have an hour to introduce you to the magic of macramé, and you will leave knowing that you can knot anything you can imagine.
Managing editor of Nové proměny bydlení magazine, Pavlína Blahotová will have an hour to introduce you to the magic of macramé, and you will leave knowing that you can knot anything you can imagine. The materials will be available on-site and are included in the price.

Can Ostrava become a city popular with tourists and an ideal place to live? What has been missing so far and what needs to be done to achieve such a goal? We will try to answer these questions and more in the lecture and discussion block where we will present you the new Městský ateliér prostorového plánování a architektury MAPPA, OSTRAVA 360° manual for the protection against advertising pollution, the final design of the new concert hall and other topics.

The essential idea of the festival is to raise awareness of the scope, meaning, and significance of landscape architecture in relation to contemporary architecture, art, and public spaces. The goal of this year’s event is to introduce the current possibilities of the interconnection of the historical center of Ostrava with Dolní oblast Vítkovice and Mariánské Hory. The trail will show you the current city barriers and the new pedestrian and bicycle routes.

Do you have a chair that needs a fresh “coat of paint”? Or do you want to get a “new” one? Then this workshop is just for you. Bring your own chair and fabric, or choose from the Vestibul Interier selection. You can register for the workshop at info@vestibulinterier.cz (don’t forget to include which of the following options you are interested in).

At the workshop, you will have an opportunity to try easy handcrafting of two flower pots out of washable paper. It is a beautiful material produced by a German company from wood waste (100% cellulose). It was fittingly nicknamed as vegan leather. The paper has the same appearance and durability as leather, it is easy to take care of, nice to work with, and has the certificate STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. Even those less skilled can attend. We will work with templates, and I will be there the entire time to help anyone in need.

Natálie Bernard, a freelance fashion stylist and former manager of Moment charity shops, will speak on the topics of slow and fast fashion, sustainable clothing, and effective wardrobe.

Managing editor of Nové proměny bydlení magazine, Pavlína Blahotová, will introduce an architect and interior designer Helena Dařbujánová, who managed to appeal to the authorial furniture customers both in the USA and China. What’s her perspective on design?

Kamila Teslíková, Dramaturge of Czech Television in Ostrava, will welcome Tomáš Havránek on stage, a designer from Ostrava, whom you will have an opportunity to ask questions on the shooting of the TV show Bydlet jako and other interior gadgets.

Bring a photo and an outline of the space you would like to transform, and Petr Šlejmar will help you create a moodboard that will be your guide during such transformation.

The material used is a reused cardboard which would otherwise be dumped in a recycling center. The studio team then finds it a new home: they transform the otherwise discarded items into a fully applied design for households or offices. In sturdy furniture. In the beauty of glowing lamps. In imaginative decorations or valuable gift items. Each piece is an original thanks to their handmade design. Its many layers make it impressively sturdy. And their powerful look is achieved by using a laser and a combination with raw wood.

In Japan, calligraphy is called “Shodo”, meaning the “way of beautiful writing”. To this day, in cultures across all of Asia, it is venerated as the original source of art and performed as a distinct artistic discipline superior to painting. In contrast to western civilization, this art is widespread in Asia among people of all ages and social groups. Basic calligraphy is one thing all Japanese children have to master. In Japanese calligraphy, the characters are traditionally written with a brush and Chinese ink, since only brush can perfectly capture the details that pen or pencil simply cannot. The visitors will have an opportunity to try the art of calligraphy. They will learn to write their names in Japanese. And the more skillful ones can try more complex Kanji characters.

The Way of Tea – “Chadō” is a traditional art and an important element of Japanese culture. It blends aesthetics with philosophy and includes the tea ceremony. The ceremony is one of the pillars of both the traditional and the contemporary Japanese culture that can draw one in a mysterious world of tranquility and understanding. The tea ceremony is a unique way to experience the entire spectrum of Japanese art at once. Zen monks used it as a training of the mind, and the samurai used it to concentrate before battle. Sen no Rikyū, the grandmaster of tea ceremony, brought it to perfection and eleva- ted it to the highest form of art. To this day, the tea ceremonies are performed in small tea houses in Zen gardens or special tea rooms. The tea ceremony will be prepared and performed for one of the selected guests in the audience to whom the tea will be served. The rest will be able to enjoy the performance of the tea ceremony itself.

Origami originates from the Japanese words “oru” – to fold and “kami” – paper. It is the Japanese art of folding various paper models. It has a long tradition in Japan, but it has developed in other countries as well, and now it is known all over the world. This entertainment has become an acclaimed form of art, which is based on the transformation of a sheet of paper into various objects by folding. Origami is very popular in Japan even today. The children learn how to fold paper already in kindergarten. The most famous Japanese origami is the Crane – “Orizuru” in Japanese, which is the testament to what this art means to the Japanese people. The origami Crane has become a Japanese symbol of peace in honor of the child victims of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The visitors will be able to try folding their own Crane. Those with more skill can try other shapes as well.

Tokyobike – story of bicycles which combine design with urban mobility. ZAK is a visual zine introducing Japanese culture – especially its current and frenetic nature. It searches for major progressive Japanese artists, designers, galleries and spots as well as brands and products. However, it also highlights other essential pillars of Japanese culture. Its contents may provoke, but not those who had already visited Japan. For those who have not had the chance to visit yet, there are 52 pages full of Japan as never seen before. Design, concept Lukáš Holinka / Intrika. Published by Schnirch and Urbane (Václav Stránský).

I offer artworks to various scenes—such as apparel, shoes, advertisements, magazines etc. Currently, as my illustrations are not only popular in Japan but also overseas, I expand range of my activities worldwide, mainly for apparel brands. I participate in group exhibitions periodically held at various places in Japan. Next year I am planning a solo exhibition in Tokyo after an interval of four years.

Urbane presents tokyobike – urban bikes from a small independent brand from the quiet Tokyo suburb of Yanaka. The name was derived from the design of the bikes. In the same way the mountain bike was designed for mountains so tokyobike was designed for Tokyo. Since 2002 based on the concept of “Tokyo Slow” the bikes have been designed to be light and easy to ride with an emphasis on comfort over speed.

Tokyobike represents connection between design and daily life in the city. Independent manufacturer of urban bicycles aims to deliver the ability to enjoy your city riding a bike. Bike that will be comfortable to ride and will reflect your highest design requirements. The brand well represents Japanese product design famous for its emphasis to simplicity, usability and functionality.

The curator of the TOKYO Stage, accompanying exhibitions and program is a designer Lukáš Holinka. Eighteen years ago in Ostrava, he co-founded and published SOAP, the first magazine dealing with graphic design. Japanese artists were also among those who contributed to the magazine with their work. Subsequently, under the pseudonym Intrika, he started to cooperate with the respected Japanese brand BeamsT – he was the author of a dozen designs.  Thanks to his love of Japan, he opened a brick-and-mortar store in Prague in 2016. He searches for Japanese artists, collaborates with them, and makes limited artistic editions of various products (t-shirts, bags, mugs, posters, publications). In 2019, he came up with the idea to publish a zine on Japanese culture and called it ZAK – Japanese Culture Zine. So far, two issues have been published.

At Meat Design Ostrava, you will have a chance to meet Masanori Ushiki, who, as a representative of Japanese illustrators, will present his work and talk about the life of an artist in Tokyo, as well as the upsides, downsides, and pitfalls concerning his work with his clients and agencies. Masanori Ushiki is a popular, distinctive, and respected representative of the new progressive Tokyo art scene. Ushiki’s series of illustrations called VISITORS is very original.

He started to work on it about two years ago and based it on a simple idea. He imagined how could the visitors and followers of his Instagram account look like. And then he gave his imagination a tangible form. At first, in an analog manner on paper, and then digitally. He makes one VISITOR and one Instagram post each day. Ushiki has set himself criteria and limits: view from the left side and 30 minutes per illustration. He finds inspiration through his boundless imagination, manga and film characters, and creates a perfect fictional image of an obscure creature that may truly exist somewhere. For example, Ushiki has cooperated with Converse and created a successful series of illustrations for the company.

Shuji Nagai is a respected persona and has an important role in BEAMS. He led the BeamsT division and store that operates under the BEAMS brand, which cooperates with artists and sells artistic fashion editions. Under BEAMS, he founded and currently manages the TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS art gallery that presents and supports artists from Tokyo and all over

Japan. He organizes exhibitions, publishes books, creates limited editions of products in cooperation with the artists, and searches for interesting Japanese creators. BEAMS often collaborates with both Japanese and international brands, designers, and artists.  

It participated in the production of limited editions of products – e.g. Levis, Casio, New Balance, Converse, McDonald’s, etc. The selection of BEAMS goods is wide and varied – fashion, fashion accessories, interior products, and design products. BEAMS takes pride in high-quality original products. 

Ostrava has a unique opportunity to greet such an esteemed guest since Shuji Nagai can share the information and experience regarding his cooperation with BEAMS. He will introduce his work, the management of the TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS gallery, cooperation with artists, designers, and brands, etc.

An exceptional personality that can’t be absent at Tokyo Stage. Petr is a Japanologist living in Tokyo since 1998. He graduated at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague and Waseda University in Tokyo and specializes in Japanese Kabuki theatre. In 2006, he became a diplomat and founded the Czech Centre Tokyo, and managed it until 2013. He introduced Jan Švankmajer and many other Czech artists in Japan. Currently, he manages the CHEKOGURA cultural salon in Tokyo and is an active translator, interpreter, and writer. 

 Lukáš Novák is an artist, multidisciplinary designer, creative personality, and glass connoisseur with a great passion for art, crafts, and history. He perceives glass as a medium capable of transmitting emotions and thoughts through forms and stories.

Jiří Pelcl is an important personality in the field of design both in the Czech Republic and abroad. He is a professor and former chancellor of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Apart from his design activities in industrial production, he publishes and is interested in design theory. He has created a number of interiors of prestigious buildings (e.g. interiors for President Václav Havel at Prague Castle, Czech Embassies in Rome and Pretoria, the family house of Gustav Mahler in Kaliště, Czech House in Malmö, etc.). His work is represented in many design collections of major museums in the Czech Republic and abroad, including the National Gallery in Prague and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. 

 Awards: He has received a number of awards for his design work, including the Red Dot Award in Germany, Good Design Award in the USA, etc.

Since 2004, he has devoted his work to furniture design while emphasizing ergonomics and innovative solutions. He creates his projects from the ground up, from the initial idea, through prototypes, to final touches and introduction to mass production.

 As a designer, he is the author of many tables and chairs of the TON brand, and as an Art Director, he shaped its international image, exposition, and direction during the selection of new projects.

Awards: CEZAAR, GOOD DESIGN AWARD, CZECH GRAND DESIGN, etc.

In his work, Boris Klimek tries to find conceptual overlaps with games and stories. He strives to make his designs not only functional but mainly poetic, playful, and capable of stimulating human imagination and emotions.

Studio Najbrt Basics: Members of Studio Najbrt and graphic designers Andrea Vacovská and Ondřej Kahánek will present their creation from the authorial beginnings of Aleš Najbrt in the 1980s to the different aspects of his creative work after 1994 and the gradual advance of approaches of the other members of the studio. And everything else the “Najbrts” have done.

A young and progressive Czech company that brings inspiration to the world with its breathtaking custom glass installations and unique collection of lights and glass.

Mária Čulenová-Hostinová has worked for Lasvit as a Senior Designer for eight years and, for the last two years, she has also been leading the development of an internal designer team as a Design Development Manager. She finds her energy in music, culture, contemporary art, and, most importantly, creative people that surround her.

Katarína Kudějová Fulínová has worked for Lasvit almost from the start as a Senior Designer, and she spent three years in Hong Kong as a Design Director. Her creations are characterized by a simple abstract form that gives room for imagination and acts as a window to our soul and subconscious. 

Vojtěch Leischner focuses on new media and interactivity. Currently, he is a member of the Lasvit R&D Department and works on his PhD at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU in Prague under Doc. Ing. Zdeněk Míkovec, Ph.D. in the field of HCI – human-computer interaction, specializing in immersive installations.

We are fascinated by the latest technology and precision, but we still deeply appreciate old crafts and nature. We prefer clear and simple form, but we still like to spice up our products a little bit.